Sci-fi Column by Gavin Grant

Karl Schroeder's second novel, Permanence, starts in the tradition of a Heinlein juvenile, then takes off across the universe into the realms of Gregory Benford and Vernor Vinge. Schroeder has hidden a philosophical novel in action novel clothing. He uses flashy and fun conventional science fiction ideas like jaunts across the galaxy and meetings between aliens and humans to sneak in digs...